Email from Ian

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 21:59:59 PDT

Hi Dave (and everyone),

I actually got the paper copy of (your email) before I found a terminal, Cheers for writing mate, it's really good to hear from you.

well life's taken a bit of a downturn since I last wrote/e-mailed. Within days of leaving India I got the shits which slowed me down by about 2 week in getting to Bali. By the time I got to Bali I'd been to hospital twice and I was on antibiotics (sp?). My neck and right knee had been givign me trouble for a week and I was getting a bit run down. Mentally and physically. I was feeling so shit when I got to Bali (still had the runs...10 days later) I got on a flight out the next day to Perth. Well I landed in Perth on 6 July, went to hospital on the 7th...they gave me some antibiotics for Guardia and asked for stool samples (still water) and they took blood to test too.

My next visit to the hospital saw me on a drip in casualty and more blood tests. Sent home again a few hours later. I did stay long enough to get fed this time.

The next week on the 16th just two days after my Birthday (spent in bed with a fever) I'm driven to the hospital again coz I can't walk now or turn my head and I'm in some little PAIIIIIIN!!! I spent the night in Casualty on Morphine.....that was a new experience I can tell you! The first shot frightened me cos my body and my pain just stopped, I couldn't move and had to concentrate on my breathing. Just like in 'Trainspotting' where he shoots up the sinks into the floor and the carpet wraps him up and stuff. Well they took advantage of the morphine to paint my by now swollen knee with Iodine, give me a local and push a really big needle behind my knee cap to drain off 50ml of fluid. then another local and another 25ml of this yellow fluid.......Then more Morphine. I went to sleep... In the morning I was admitted and Isolated for 5 days untill they decided that I didn't pose a serious risk to the rest of the hospital... I got my own TV and everything! The doctors got another 70ml of fluid out of my knee during this time and loads or really runny stool samples. A steroid injection into the knee helped a lot and after the isolation was over some of the guys and girls from the hostel visited and brought fruit and books and stuff. Actually I think they visited during the isolation too...amazing what you get away with when you're travelling. Well I got out after 8 days.

It's winter in Perth and zero at night but 20 in the day. Quite nice really. Can't wait for Murton to get here. Last I heard he went back to India from Nepal coz he liked it so much...I wish I was there with him. It's a great place.

Write/mail soon

I'll tell you more about what I'm doing and stuff next time. Ask me some questions coz it's hard to know what to tell you about.

later, Ian

Back to Travelogue Home

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page